I love a good scone and to achieve this its all about how you bring together the dough.

DON’T ever overwork the flour when you have added the wet ingredients. To get that light fluffy centre kneading the dough will get the gluten activated too much and it will be quite firm when its baked.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C or for a fan oven, 200 degrees C. Do this well before needing to bake so its fully up to temp and stable

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then rub together the butter and flour mixture until you have a breadcrumb like texture, then fold through the cheese and chives and bacon if using.

Add the milk and use a knife to get an initial mix and then with your hands bring the mixture together dough. It does not have to be perfect and smooth. Remember don’t overwork the mix.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour then roll out the dough to 25mm thick. No thinner.

Cut to shape with a knife or 5-7cm cookie cutter

Place the scones on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Lightly brush the top and sides of each scone with the honey then sprinkle over a little bit more cheese on the top is desired.

Leave the scones to cool on a wire rack or enjoy warm with butter. I love to have them with a creamy garlic butter.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C or for fan oven, 200 degrees C. Do this well before needing to bake so its fully up to temp and stable

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then rub together the butter and flour mixture until you have a breadcrumb like texture, then fold through the cheese.

Add an egg and start to bring the mixture together using a knife. Add the milk and use your knife to get an initial mix and then with your hands bring the mixture together dough. It does not have to be perfect and smooth.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour then roll out the dough to 25mm thick. No thinner. Cut to shape with a knife or 5-7cm cookie cutter

Place the scones on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Lightly brush the top and sides of each scone with the honey then sprinkle over a little bit more cheese on the top is desired.

Bake the scones in a preheated oven for 18-22 minutes until they are golden brown.

Leave the scones to cool on a wire rack or enjoy warm with butter. I love to have them with a creamy garlic butter.

When you make home cured bacon yourself, you are in total control over the quality of the meat and the ingredients you use to cure it! I love the thought of the chemical-free goodness of homemade bacon right in my kitchen.

There are a few considerations that need to be considered and understood when you are “Makin Bacon”.

Processes and Food Safety At Home

There is one primary concern we have to consider when curing and preserving meat, and that is protecting from possible botulism. While botulism is usually related to improper canning/preserving procedures, food-borne botulism also occurs in meats that have been improperly cured. Often this is due to methods and the process used and the possibility can be easily prevented with care and attention detailed below.

To prevent this, most commercially preserved meats contain sodium nitrite, often known as pink salt, which acts both as a preservative and a colour fixer. This also gives store-bought bacon that bright red colour. I am not interested in this colour in my bacon.

Sodium nitrite is toxic in high quantities, and has been linked to migraines in many people.

For me the main concern about the use of sodium nitrite is that when it is exposed to high heat in the presence of protein (nitrite cured bacon) the proteins in the meat will bond with the sodium nitrite to produce the toxic nitrosamines. Studies have shown that certain nitrosamines have been proven to be deadly carcinogens. This can vary from country to country as far as government policy as to their position on the use of nitrates.

For myself at the end of the day, chemical free bacon is better in flavour and cooks in a different way with incredibly better results.

Frying nitrite-cured bacon presents the scenario for nitrosamines to form when the bacon is cooked and then to enter your system. This alone in my view is a good reason to home cure (with care).

The home cook can much better control the variables and handling procedures, and can get those assurances without the addition of nitrites. Purchasing from your local butcher that has pasture raised pork is the start as it will have a documented procedure and correct food handling record. Organic raised pork is the best choice in my opinion.

I would never use home-kill pork because environment and food safety procedures are not controlled. This is important as a poor hygiene environment can contaminate the meat with food-borne botulism and other possible contaminates.

Cut your pork belly into a nice even square or rectangle, bacon-like block. This can be done by the butcher on request

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until they are well combined and the wet ingredients (if using) in a separate bowl until they are well combined.

Making sure that your hands are well washed and clean coat the meat all over with the wet ingredients (if using) until thoroughly coated everywhere.

Place one half of the dry cure mixture in the bottom of the glass dish. Place the wet pork belly into the dish and press it into the salt/sugar mix.

Carefully sprinkle the rest of the mixture across the top of the meat and press it in uniformly all around, using your hands to thoroughly apply the cure mix into every nook and cranny of your pork belly.

Cover and place the dish in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, until the meat feels firm throughout. (5 days is a good average, but check to be sure. The longer you cure it, the saltier it will be.)

Turn the bacon over every day in the liquid that will accumulate in the dish. Pour off half of the liquid each day. After 5-7 days curing remove the pork belly and wash the salt/sugar mixture off of the pork belly very carefully.

Give the soon to be bacon a good pat dry all over with a clean towels. Place the bacon on a rack over a baking sheet and place in the fridge uncovered for 12-24 hours.

At this point, you can slice it for “green bacon” or you can smoke or roast the whole belly.

If roasting, preheat the oven to 80-90 C. (175-200 F.) Roast the pork belly in the oven to an internal temperature of 65 C (150 F) for about 90 minutes. The meat should be cooked a bit on the outside, but not all the way through.

If smoking, smoke over hickory, cherry or Applewood, a mix is fine at 80 C (175 F) until meat reaches an internal temperature of 65 C (150 F), for about 3 hours. The meat should be cooked a bit on the outside, but not all the way through.

Remove and let the bacon cool to room temperature on a wire rack over the baking sheet, tightly wrap in parchment (butchers) paper, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight to set the flavour and texture.

Homemade bacon will keep for a week in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

So for bacon, we either cold smoke it or hot smoke it. To cold smoke it, we use our bourbon barrel and cold smoke generator or place it in our gas BBQ grill with an A-Maze-N tube. We use either hickory and apple wood chips for flavour (although I want to try maple or pecan as well).

We cold smoke for about 8-9 hours. To hot smoke it, we use our Oklahoma Joe Highland offset and try to keep the heat down to 150-175 F. We will use apple or hickory to smoke the bacon for 2-3 hours, until bacon reaches 150 F internal.

In a medium sized bowl add the garlic, Manawa honey, lemon juice, spices, pepper and salt. Combine well and then add the chicken and turn to cover all the chicken pieces. Cover and rest in fridge for 2 hours.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour. About 30 minutes before heating the grill, remove the chicken from the fridge and let sit at room temperature.

Thread the chicken on the skewers, packing tightly together. Grill on bbq over medium heat, turning occasionally until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Peal and place sweet potatoes in salted cold water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook till just tender to the centre, 10-15 minutes depending on size.

While they are cooking warm the honey so its just runny, take off heat and add the lemon juice and stir to combine.

Drain off the water and replace with cold water to “shock” the sweet potatoes to cool.

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Season the sweet potato lightly with salt and pepper all over. Starting at one end wrap with the bacon. Secure with tooth picks if required and baste the bacon with the lemon honey and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked, basting once after ten minutes with the lemon honey.

In a large pot add the wet ingredients with the bacon, apples, pepper and onion. Cook on med-low heat for 30-40 mins, until the apples and onions have become soft. Add the sumac and Horopito if using and cook for another 10 minutes.

In a blender wiz, the sauce to make it smooth and return to the pot. Add 1-2 cups of apple juice to make the sauce thinner (to your liking) and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes.

Bottle while hot into warm bottles or jars and seal tight. Once opened store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Open foil, drain and discard any accumulated juices and fat. Brush barbeque sauce on all sides of rack.

Place rack meat-side up and return to oven, leaving foil open. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and brush another layer of barbeque sauce on meat-side only. Repeat baking and brushing with sauce 3-4 more times, for a total of 50 minutes baking time.

Cut rack into individual rib segments and serve with more barbeque sauce.

4 by 200g fillets of smoked fish. I love using smoked Kahawai in this recipe.

Directions

In a saucepan add oil and heat over medium high. When just about smoking add the onions and stir to coat evenly with the oil. Reduce to medium low and caramelise the onions for 15 to 20 minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes. Season with salt and pepper after 10 minutes to taste

Add the Manawa Honey Balsamic Glaze, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours in sealed container before using.

In an oven pre-heated to 150 C warm the smoked fish fillets for about 20 minutes or until warm but not roasting. Prepare your choice of sides while the fillets are warming.

In a small pot warm the Manawa Honey Balsamic onion over a low heat till its hot but not boiling. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the Remove from the heat.

Place the warmed smoked fillets on four warmed dinner plates, top with some of the Manawa Honey Balsamic Glaze and serve straight with your preferred sides. Roasted root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips go well with this.

A classic dinner favourite that can be made ahead of time and re-heated when its time for dinner. Any leftovers are great for lunch the next day or as a brunch on Sunday morning with a nice seasonal salad on the side.

In a large bowl combine all of the meatloaf ingredients and combine well. Roll into shape, cover and rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.

In a pot heat the oil on the stove on medium and add the onion. Cook the onion for 5-10 minutes until they are soft. Add the garlic and dried chillies and cook stirring for another 2-3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the tomato, paste herbs and stock. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce can be made ahead and stored, sealed in the fridge for a couple of days until needed.

Take the meatloaf from the fridge and rest for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 170C. Place the loaf in a high sided oven dish and cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove any fats and oils that have come out of the loaf.

Cover with the sauce and cook in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove and rest for 5 minutes and serve with your choice of sides.